The present invention relates to a folding hard panel tonneau cover for a pickup truck cargo box having a plurality of panels pivotally connected to one another to fold in an accordion-style fashion about hinges. The invention, in particular, relates to a cover having an improved latch and seal for both retaining the panels on the cargo box and for preventing water from entering the cargo box and to a cover having continuous gear hinges joining the panels to one another.
The cargo box of a conventional pickup truck is open and therefore exposed to the weather. Depending upon the cargo being transported, it may be desired to protect the cargo from the weather. Various types of covers have been developed for covering the cargo box including cargo box caps, rigid one-piece fiberglass covers and flexible vinyl coated fabric covers.
Folding hard panel tonneau covers have also been developed which have a plurality of hard panels pivotally attached to one another by hinges that extend transversely of the cargo box, enabling the panels to fold accordion-style to uncover the box. In a closed position, the tonneau cover lies flat on top of the cargo box walls, covering the cargo box open upper end. The hard panel cover can also be equipped with locks to secure the cover in place. This locking capability is not available with vinyl coated fabric tonneau covers. The folding panel tonneau cover can easily be opened by folding the panels, one on top of the other, to substantially open the cargo box. This ease of opening the cargo box is a significant advantage over the one-piece molded fiber glass tonneau covers and cargo box caps which are difficult to remove in order to open the cargo box.
Hard panel tonneau covers, however, have their own disadvantages. One disadvantage is the difficulty in providing a water tight seal between the panels and the cargo box walls. Another disadvantage is the difficulty in securing the panels to the cargo box in a manner which prevents wind forces, generated during operation of the truck, from lifting the panels off the cargo box.
It is the object of the present invention to provide an improved seal structure for the folding panel tonneau cover that securely retains the panels to the cargo box to prevent lifting caused by wind forces and that provides a water tight seal to prevent water from entering the cargo box.
The tonneau cover of the present invention includes a pair of elongated rails attached to the cargo box with one rail on each of the cargo box side walls. Each rail carries an elongated plastic extrusion which forms elongated receiving pockets having flexible side walls.
Each of the individual panels of the tonneau cover includes an extruded perimeter frame. Along the side edges of the panels, the frame includes a downwardly extending flange or tongue which has an enlarged distal end. The tongue is inserted into the receiving pocket carried by each side rail to latch the panels in place upon the cargo box. The tongue is held in the receiving pocket to prevent the panels from being lifted by wind forces. In addition, the engagement of the tongue with the receiving pocket produces a water tight seal, preventing water from entering the cargo box. The frame along the panel side edges also forms an extending lip which covers the tongue and the receiving pocket carried by the rails. The lip provides a path to divert water from the top of the tonneau cover, over the lip and onto the side wall of the cargo box.
The same frame section is used at the front and rear edges of the tonneau cover over the front wall and tailgate of the cargo box. The front and rear frame sections carry a rubber gasket which seals against the front wall and tailgate of the cargo box, providing a water tight seal at the front and rear of the tonneau cover.
A lock is provided to lock the rear panel of the cover to the rails attached to the cargo box side walls. The font panel is bolted to the rails to hold it in place. A catch is provided to prevent the tailgate from being opened without first lifting the rear hard panel. This prevents unauthorized access into the cargo box.
It is common practice with a hard panel tonneau cover to connect the panels to one another with the use of an elongated hinge commonly referred to as a piano hinge. The attachment of a separate piano hinge to the hard panels requires an additional assembly operation. An alternative approach to adding a separate hinge is to form an elongated piano hinge as a part of the extruded panel frame member. Once the frame member is extruded, an additional operation must be performed to cutout portions of the hinge barrel to allow two hinge members to be meshed with one another and have a hinge pin inserted therein.
It is thus another objective of the present invention to provide an improved hinge for the hard panel tonneau cover which is simple and easy to construct and which provides an attractive finished appearance.
Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.